


Finding Home

by GambitsGuardian (vockofalltrades)



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Disfigurement, F/M, Fluff, Hunting, Lots of Original Characters - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Playing with Canon, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-City Era, Protective Cayde-6 (Destiny), Strangers to Lovers, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma, Trust Issues, post-collapse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vockofalltrades/pseuds/GambitsGuardian
Summary: Waking up in a world after The Collapse is hard enough, let alone when you remember nothing about yourself. Armed with nothing but a knife and a water bottle, Willow makes her way from settlement to settlement trying to find a place to call her home and trying to find who she is. She learns the way of this new world, and its varying dynamics. Some Risen fight for control, while the few good ones hide in the shadows in fear of coming out. Mere days after watching her home crumble to Warlords, she's greeted by hunters who take her to their home. Will this be her final home? Will she finally find her answers? Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?
Relationships: Cayde-6/Female Guardian (Destiny)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	1. Alone

Being alone was all she knew. She woke up in a small forest, underneath a large willow tree. The bark scratched the back of her arms as she came to. A small humming caught her attention, her Ghost.  
[What’s your name?] It chirped. It was all too happy to have found its Risen.  
She had no idea. Who was she? Where was she from? What happened? Too many questions, too little answers. She sighed and pressed her head against the tree. All she had to her were her clothes, which she patted gently. Hooked on to her belt she found a small hunting knife, which she examined trying to remember who gave it to her. A gust of wind blew through the forest, which caused small white petals to fall around the pair. They sat in silence, the Rise trying to remember, and the Ghost patiently waiting.  
“Willow,” she finally spoke, “My name is Willow.”

The first settlement, Arkara, they found welcomed her with open arms. She was a battered traveler with nothing more than a knife and a water bottle. She was starving and craving something more than berries that could cause her death (again). Ghost stayed hidden, noting that Guardians seemed to be disliked in this settlement. It wouldn’t be long until they found out why.  
A month into their stay, a loud rumbling shook the village. Willow stretched in her cot before getting up and peering outside. A few men pushed her aside, telling her to stay indoors. She kept her head outside despite the protests of other women. Torches and lights came into view. Then people.  
The sight stunned Willow, “Those are…”  
“Risen,” a woman sneered. “They’ve been tormenting us since we settled here. Demanding our crops, our resources. In turn we get their ‘protection’.”  
Another woman chimed in, “Protection my ass! They’ll give us up on their first chance.”  
Willow simply nodded as she stared at the Risen and their Ghosts. Internally, she screamed. She could never confess her little secret now. Even if she wasn’t anything like those Risen, she would be exiled, if not killed and Ghost hunted.  
  
The next few months passed with no incidents. Willow talked to Ghost in secret during the nights, and carried on as normal during the days. She sat alongside her friend, Tasha, while they made lunch together for the village. Today’s lunch was a soup of fresh vegetables from the community garden. It wasn’t a lot, but they made do with what they could.  
Shouts from inside the village hushed the women's conversation. They turned in the direction of the noise and found the village leader, Mica, and a small group of Risen.  
“We won’t survive!” Mica shouted.  
The lead Risen shrugged, “Not my problem.”  
Mica’s hands clasped into fists, “It is your problem! You’re supposed to protect us!”  
“And we are,” he surveyed the surrounding villagers and seemed to take interest in some of the younger, able-bodied men, and women. His eyes hovered over Willow for a brief moment and a chill went down her spine. “We need more men for our armies. So that way you don’t die a miserable death if we get attacked. And we can take care of your women better. They’d be more safe with us.”  
“Absolutely not!” Mica yelled. “We need our people. We need them to survive out here. If you take them, we’ll be dead in a month!”  
The surrounding villagers tensed, their eyes darted between each other. Quiet whispers filled the area, and some women rushed their children away. Tasha squeezed Willow’s shaky hand. They stared, unmoving, at the arguing group.  
“If you can’t survive without a few men and women, you shouldn’t be surviving anyhow,” the Risen spoke again.  
With that, Mica’s eye twitched. He took a step closer to the Risen, “What did you just say?”  
The group of Risen pulled their weapons of all types, from side arms to shotguns. Mica’s eyes darted towards the men, then back to their leader. He stared down at Mica, “I said. You shouldn’t be surviving.”  
Mica punched the man, and chaos erupted almost instantaneously. Shots rang out. Mica was dead on the ground. Villagers screamed, and were gunned down by the Risen. Willow had grabbed Tasha’s arm and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Making their way towards the border of the village, they found it surrounded. More Risen were waiting for them. The entire village was trapped.

Willow and Tasha watched their home burn. They escaped, although not unscathed. Luckily, neither women sustained any life-threatening injuries. Willow had sprained her ankle, and Tasha had bruising and scratches. They didn’t dare start a fire, instead, they waited out the night in darkness.  
In the morning, Tasha examined Willow’s ankle. She was puzzled, “There’s no bruising or anything. Does it still hurt?”  
Willow moved her ankle, “A little, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.”  
“Seriously?” Tasha stared at her friend in disbelief. “ Willow, we both heard something snap. You screamed, for fuck’s sake. And now it doesn’t hurt at all? Something’s wrong.”  
“I really think you’re overexaggerating this,” Willow sighed. The snap could have been anything. And the scream was from shock. Right?  
A light to their left caught their attention and Tasha screamed. Ghost floated beside them, although closer to Willow. [Your friend is right,] she spoke, [It was really bad. But it’s been healing overnight.]  
Tasha’s eyes were wide as she backed away from the duo, “Y-y-you… You’re one of them?” Tears beaded at the corners of her eyes.  
Willow took a step towards her and reached a hand out, “No! I mean.. Yes, but.. Not th-”  
A rock hit Willow in the forehead. “Stay away from me!” Tasha screamed.  
“Tasha, please-”  
“I don’t want to hear it! You were in on it Willow! You knew this was happening!”  
“I didn’t I sw-”  
“You could’ve stopped everything!”  
“I-”  
“Stay the fuck away from me.” With that, Tasha turned and took off.  
Willow was back where she started.  
Alone.


	2. Insider

Life continued. Tasha could be dead, or she could be out there still. Somewhere. Settlements came and went. Willow stayed an outsider, never staying more than a few months in any given place. 

Her longest stay was in a slightly smaller village than Arkara, Windrip. She befriended Mose, the leader of the hunting group. He taught her how to use a bow and how to set traps for food. He and his wife, Alica, welcomed her into their home. Alicia was heavily pregnant with their first child, so Willow helped out inside the house only occasionally hunting with Mose. 

One of her longer stays was spent in Windrip, a village smaller than Arkara and with seemingly less problems with Risen. They seemed to be more willing to give them a chance, although in her stay the village only housed two Risen. They were treated well, but villagers seemed to keep their distance. Even knowing with this, she kept her Risen status hidden.

Her secret only slipped when she was caught talking to her Ghost in the middle of the night. She had taken a nightly stroll into the trees. She found a small clearing with a small pond. As she sat down on the grass Ghost made herself known. The AI buzzed happily taking in the surroundings.

_ [It’s even more lovely here than I thought!] _ She exclaimed.

Willow hummed in agreement while staring at the night sky in the pond. Stars twinkled above her, and Willow swore she could see something flying across the sky. But it was too large to be a shooting star. It was too close. 

Noticing her puzzlement, Ghost spoke,  _ [What’s up? You okay?] _

“Mm. Just saw something weird is all.”

_ [Weird how?] _ The small AI turned her golden eye towards the sky.  _ [I don’t see anything.] _

“It’s probably nothing,” she laughed. “I’m probably just seeing things is all.”

Behind her a voice cleared his throat. Willow turned quickly, and Ghost vanished. Behind her stood Mose, who had taken her into his home. Mose stood tall watching Willow in awe. A bow was slung across his shoulder- he was out hunting.

“Mose, I-I-” Willow stood quickly, taking a step towards her friend, “I can explain.”

Mose held out a hand gesturing to her to stop, “Willow, it’s all fine.” A small smile formed on his lips, “Something felt off about you from the day you stopped here. At least I can finally say my gut was right!”

Relief swept over Willow and she let out a sigh.

“Alicia and I don’t mind Risen. Too much, anyhow. I know others aren’t the same here, but you and your little friend…” He glanced around, looking for the Ghost. “Whatever it went. You’re always welcomed home.”

_ Home. _

Ghost came out of hiding inside of the Watson home. Otherwise, everything continued as normal. Willow helped Mose’s wife, Alicia, around the house. Alicia was heavily pregnant and her feet were swollen, so Willow took on household chores when it got to be too much for her. In her free time Mose taught her how to set hunting traps. He also helped hone in her archery skills, even gifting Willow an old bow of his.

Mose laughed, “No, no, I insist Willow.”

The woman held the bow in her hands. This had been her training bow, Mose’s old bow before he forged a new one. Now it was hers. “Mose, thank you, I don’t.. I don’t know what to say.”

He smiled, “No need to say anything. You’ve been helping out around here so much. It’s  _ my _ way of saying thank you. Not to mention, you might be getting better than me with that thing.” A hearty laugh echoed through their small house. 

Before long, Alicia went into labor. She was rushed to the home of the village nurse who helped throughout the ordeal. Despite her protests, Mose insisted she wait outside. She was family now too.

Cries of the newborn filled everyone’s ears. Willow stood, a smile on her face. She had never been pregnant- at least she didn’t think so- but she was relieved everything went without a hitch. Mose invited her in, and Alicia laid holding her baby. A little girl. Alicia smiled at Willow.

“Willow,” Alicia’s eyes met hers, then followed back to the child wrapped in her arms. “This is Lilo.”

Where there is the good, evil always lies right around the corner. Waiting.

Alicia spent a majority of her time caring for Lilo. She was a bright eyed and curious girl. Willow picked up more of the household chores, including cooking- something she had gotten better at. Mose spent as much time as he could with his wife and daughter, however, he seemed to be getting sent out more and more. The biggest reason was along the lines of, “We have a growing population now.” Bullshit, if you would ask Mose.

He would come back with stories of how things felt different when he was out there. Although, he couldn’t put his finger on what was different. Willow asked to tag along some time, and Mose just shook his head.

“I need you here with Alicia,” there was a sad smile on his face. He knew the dangers of being out there in the dark. “Gods forbid, if something happened to me… At least I can count on you.”

The pair glanced towards the napping mother and child. Peaceful.

Shortly after, Willow made her way back out into the wooded clearing by the pond. She hadn’t visited in a while, but Mose was right. Something did feel different. Ghost hovered by her shoulder as she stared into the night sky. She squinted seeing a large light drift across the sky. Followed by another. They were similar to the ones she saw before, except they were slower.

_ [Willow?]  _ Ghost whispered.

“Yeah. I see them too. Any ideas?”

Ghost stared for a moment longer before floating in front of Willow,  _ [They’re not stars or planets. That’s for sure.] _

They stayed silent for a while, watching the mysterious lights. “What about Fallen ships? Gods, I hope not Fallen ships.”

_ [They seem too small for Fallen… But they could be ships.] _

Before Willow could respond, one of the lights began to grow brighter. No.  _ Closer. _ It was getting closer, and fast. The other lights followed behind it. She was on her feet before she knew it, and she was running as fast as they would carry her. Her gut screamed the worst, so she screamed as well.

Reaching the village, men were already on alert. Mose met Willow and took her into his arms, “Hey, hey, calm down.” His voice was near a whisper. He was nervous as his eyes scanned the night sky.

“They- They’re ships! And they’re fast, and coming this way!” Willow sobbed.

Men in the group rolled their eyes. “She’s lost it,” one mumbled. Others chimed in in agreement before Mose shut them down, I said  _ shut it _ .” He sighed and turned his attention back to Willow, “What did you see?”

A loud rumble filled the air around the village. Willow’s eyes were wide, “Ships. Lots of them. Coming this way.”

“You’re really believing this nutjob, Mo?” A man scoffed.

“Everyone, inside, lights off.  _ NOW. _ ”

Mose and Willow huddled in the master bedroom. Mose quietly shook Alicia awake, careful to avoid waking Lilo. He explained the situation they were in, and whispered among each other. Willow sat in silence, terrified. The rumbling grew even louder before it was right on top of the village. Mose held his wife, and Willow held her knees.

Then the world seemed to stop.

Everything was dark, and around her felt warm. There was silence, save for some crackling. She pushed above her to find debris. Her hands pushed against warm wood. It was heavy, and she struggled to sit up, but eventually succeeded. The world around her had changed dramatically. The crackling she heard was a dying fire. All the buildings around her lay in ruins. Ghost materialized beside her, silent.

“Mose…?” She whispered. “Alicia…?”

_ [Willow-] _

She refused to hear her Ghost. Instead, she began digging into the debris next to her trying to find her friends- no. Her family. Tears pricked at her eyes as the wood burned her skin. “Mose! Alicia!” Her voice cracked, “Please say something, anything!” 

They couldn’t.

Willow found their bodies. Mose holding his wife, Alicia crying into herself. They were both crushed underneath the rubble of their home. Mose had  _ something _ impaled into his stomach. Alicia had part of her skull crushed. The lone survivor stared at her family before her eyes darted towards the left. Lilo. 

She dug for the child, openly sobbing now. Like her parents, she was crushed under falling debris. Willow picked her up and gently cradled her in her arms. “This should’ve never happened,” she whispered.

Willow set Lilo in between her parents. She closed each of their eyelids and knelt in front of them. Her voice shook and was barely even audible to herself, “I’m sorry.”

She was back to square one. Alone.


	3. Outsider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW ahead for suicidal ideations, and mild description of butchering of an animal. As well as descriptions of disfigurement. Poor Willow.

The bow string grazed her cheek as she stalked her prey; a small rabbit. She wished she didn’t have to, but everyone has to survive somehow. The rabbit stood on its hind legs and seemingly looked into Willow’s eyes. Her grip on the string released and her arrow shot forward, impaling the small creature. It died on the spot.

Willow made her way to the animal, “Sorry little guy.” Was all she whispered. She extracted the arrow from its body and carried it back to her makeshift campsite. There wasn’t much to her camp, a small fire pit, a cutting rock, a bucket for rain water, and a shoddily made hut. Branches formed a human-sized cone shape and leaves were stuck throughout them to keep out the weather. The floor was lined with whatever fabric scraps could be scavenged, or more leaves. It was far from comfortable.

The rabbit’s body hit Willow’s chopping rock. The once gray rock was stained a dull red, this wasn’t her first butchering job, nor would it be the last. The flat rock made it an ideal spot for butchering small animals, like squirrels or rabbits. Anything too much larger and she’d have to figure something else out. Her knife entered the flesh of the rabbit, and she began the process of skinning and cutting the creature.

The darkness of nighttime slowly came over the quiet forest. The once blue-purple sky turned into darkness. Gray clouds loomed overhead, blocking any light from the stars or moon. The fire didn’t emit too much light, so anything beyond a 5ft radius was pitch black. It was small enough so it could be put out quickly. Just in case.

Willow sat cross legged beside her fire, turning her dinner to make sure it cooked evenly. She made rabbit kabobs, rabbit meat and foraged vegetables. It was the easiest thing to make with her limited time. Soups had found their way to Willow’s heart. Maybe it was because of the time she spent making them with Tasha and Alicia. She shook her head.

_ [What’s wrong?] _ Ghost asked. Willow jumped at the voice, almost forgetting she wasn’t completely alone.  _ [Sorry. Should I talk to you more?] _

She pulled her knees to her chest, “No, sorry. I mean- if you want to. I’m sorry for jumping. Just lost, I guess.”

Ghost settled on her shoulder, resting against her cheek,  _ [Wanna talk about it?] _

Willow swallowed hard, “Why the hell am I here? Why do  _ I _ get to be the special one? Why not Tasha? Or Mose? Alicia?”

Ghost couldn’t answer. Instead, they sat in silence until Willow spoke again.

“Everywhere I go, I’m scared. I’m scared that everyone I get close to will go. Like Tasha. Or they’ll die. Like…” She sighed, remembering the people who called her family, “Mose, Alicia, and Lilo. They’re the only people who took  _ us _ in. Everywhere else, it’s just me. Ghost? Do you think there’s a place for  _ us _ somewhere out there?”

The AI blinked.  _ [I think there’s hope.] _

“Hope?”

_ [I think that eventually we can all live in peace. Humans, Awoken, Exos, Ghosts, Risen. I’m just… Not sure when.] _

Silence replaced their conversation. Willow went back to tending to her dinner, careful not to knock Ghost off her shoulder. The smell of kabobs filled the air around them and Willow inhaled deeply. A smile grew on her face, “It’s just about done.” She spoke to herself. 

_ Willow sat inside a small home, a smile on her cheeks. A little girl played in the center of the room, and delicious smells permeated the room. The room had stone floors, but a large carpet in the center covered in children’s toys. _

_ The little girl smiled at Willow, “Auntie, look! I made you!” She happily held up a drawing. It showed her representation of Willow. A short girl with long, silver hair. She had rosy cheeks and amber eyes. _

_ Willow couldn’t help but smile, “Aw, honey! It’s perfect!” She cooed. “Is it for me?” The child nodded. “Can I have your autograph then?” _

_ The girl's eyes lit up and her mouth formed a small o shape. Quickly, she scribbled her name in the corner of the drawing. “There! All done!” She exclaimed, handing it to Willow. _

_ “Now I’ll have it when you’re famous!” _

_ The little girl laughed, and scurried off to create another work of art. Willow leaned her head against the soft couch she sat in. She hummed a long forgotten tune as she took in everything around her. It was perfect.  _

_ The door opening caught her attention. Mose walked in, “Hey all!” _

_ The little girl dropped what she was doing, “Daddy!” She exclaimed as she ran to him.  _

_ Mose smiled, “Hey Li, did’ya miss me?” _

_ She nodded, snuggling against her dad. Alicia appeared soon after, welcoming her husband home and announcing dinner time. The three of them made their way into the dining room. Willow got up and followed. She paused by Lilo’s newest drawing and her eyes widened. _

_ She gulped, “Lilo, honey?” _

_ “Hmmm?” She replied from the other room. _

_ “Who’s your new drawing of?” _

_ “Oh! It’s Auntie Tasha!” _

_ Willow stared at the drawing. It was Tasha alright, her emerald eyes stared back at Willow. She had bruises on her arms, and red smudges -blood- on her neck and chest. “Lilo?” Willow began her walk into the dining room. “How do you… know…” _

_ Before her sat her family. Alicia, her skull smashed and an eyeball dangling from its socket. Mose, a plank of wood impaled through his stomach and fingers missing. And little Lilo… Burned all over her body.  _

_ Lilo smiled at her, “She visits all the time!” _

_ Alicia stood, “Willow, are you okay? You look pale.” _

_ Willow backed up, shaking her head in disbelief. “This… This isn’t real.” _

_ “What are you going on about, Willow?” Mose’s voice was full of concern.  _

_ She squeezed her eyes shut, and put her hands up to shield herself more. “THIS ISN’T REAL,” she sobbed. “I’M SORRY.” _

Willow shot up, her heart racing and breathing erratic. Ghost appeared in front of her pleading with her to calm down, but she couldn’t. Tears fell free, and she wrapped her arms around herself. She was a mess who couldn’t even get an hour’s worth of sleep. She sobbed, and she didn’t give a damn if anyone heard her. She couldn’t die, so what was the point? Maybe if she were dead, she could sleep.

She stared ahead into the darkness. Her hand glided across the cold ground until she found the handle of her knife. Slowly, she brought it into her vision and stared at it. She could stab herself in the neck. Slice her throat. Throw herself into a river after. Drown herself. And none of it would matter. She’d just come right back like nothing ever happened. It wouldn’t matter.

The crunch of a branch outside broke her trance. She grabbed her bow, “Who’s out there?” She shouted into the night. Another crunch filled her ears, then silence. She stood, readying her bow, “I said, who’s out there?” Willow was shaking, although she wouldn’t let anyone know that. She took a deep breath before shouting again, “I am ARMED.”

After what felt like an eternity, a voice cleared their throat. “My name is Kate. My group and I were out scouting and we heard a scream. We thought someone might have been in trouble.”

“Well I’m fine.” There was a crunch outside and Willow aimed her bow, “Do NOT come another step.”

The mystery woman stopped in her tracks, letting silence fill the air again. “Are you alone out here?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“We have a little community, not far from here. There’s about 20 of us out there.” She hesitated. “We can help you, if you need it.” She waited for a response. Before one could come out, someone yelled to her. She replied to the distant voice, “Yeah, I’m coming back.” She took a step away from the makeshift camp before speaking again, “We’re about an hour’s walk east of here. I’m not sure when I’ll be back there, but tell ‘em Kate sent you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 chapters in 3 days who wants to be im gonna burn myself out hardcore. but i hope youre all liking it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day has risen, as has Willow. She sets out in search of the new settlement 'Kate' had told her about. But what if it's all a trap?

Leaves crunched underneath Willow as she walked. She was coming up on 50 minutes. This settlement can’t be much further. She had kept on the forested side of the area, noting the large clearing not far away. Her mind raced. This could all be a trap meant to capture her. But why her?  _ Why anyone else, _ she thought.

The forest was coming to an end, and Willow crouched at the end of the tree line. There were obvious signs of life, a small garden and barrels to catch rainwater to name the obvious. No houses or homes were in view, however. She studied the hillside, looking for an entrance, when she saw it. A light. It was faint but it shone through shrubs. Perhaps there was a way in that way?

The light grew brighter, and from behind the shrubbery the figure of a man emerged. He was an Exo. His clothing had signs of wear and tear, and it was obvious he had been here awhile. The Exo looked like he was talking to someone, but no one was around. That was until a little light materialized beside him. A Ghost quickly took a spot beside the Exo.

Willow let out a quiet gasp and took a step backwards. This was all a trap, wasn’t it? After all, how many nice Risen had she met in her few years alive? Another shaky breath filled her lungs as she continued stepping backwards, never taking her eyes off the Risen. That was, until something sounded behind her and something struck the side of Willow’s head- right in her temple. The world around her turned black, as she fell to the forest floor.

“So you thought it was a good idea to strike her?” A male’s voice filled Willow’s ears. Where was she?

“Well, yeah,” another male replied. “I’ve done it before. What’s the big deal?”

The first male sighed, “If you strike someone’s temple hard enough they  _ can _ die.”

“Well no one’s died yet, have they?”

A curtain was pulled open, and footsteps followed. “Well, no,” an older woman spoke. “Zeke, you’re free to go. And Jett? A blow to the temple won’t kill you. Unless, of course, you were to pierce it.”

The second man, Zeke, sighed, “Well at least I didn’t  _ stab _ her. Later, Saff.” He pulled a curtain open again, and then shut, and his footsteps disappeared.

The sound of water filled the room, and then a wet rag was placed on Willow’s forehead. The woman, Saff, sighed. “I don’t understand why he always thinks it’s okay to attack at first sight. Jett, would you bring me some gauze?” The man hummed in acknowledgement and began rummaging through shelves to find gauze. He returned shortly, handing it to Saff. “Thank you, ‘hun.”

Willow finally stirred. Cold metal was wrapped around her wrist, and it was connected to the cot she laid on. She was trapped. Panic grew inside her. Her eyes opened and she squinted at the bright light inside. The woman sat next to her. She was older, had bags under her eyes, but had a warm smile.

“Good morning, Dearie,” she smiled. She saw the nervousness on Willow’s face and sighed, “I understand. Don’t worry. Cuffing you to the cot isn’t exactly my forte. My name is Saffron. Saffron Gallo. I’m the Doctor here in Ecrin- that’s our little town name.” She looked towards the man next to her, a tall Exo in a robe that was a little too large for him. “This is my assistant, Jett.”

The Exo’s lights lit up a warm yellow, “Hi. Nice to meet you.” 

Willow nodded at him, but nothing more. He wasn’t the one with the Ghost, at least she didn’t think. She tugged on her restraints again, hoping they would break. They didn’t. She sighed, before panic overtook her again. “My bow. Where is it?” 

Saffron’s face turned confused “Bow?”

Jett cleared his throat, “Zeke said he took it and gave it to Andal. Same with your knife.”

Footsteps were heard outside the room, but Willow paid them little attention. “If this, Andal, so much as  _ touches _ my bow. Consider them dead,” she spoke through gritted teeth. “If it’s cracked. If the paint is chipped. If  _ anything _ is out of place-”

The curtain was pulled open and two men walked in. One rolled his eyes. He had short black hair and dark eyes. He wore a red and black cloak, and tan and gray armor underneath. “Kid, I don’t really care about your bow,” he spoke. “I have it to make sure you don’t kill any of my people. And it seems that I’ll be holding on to it for awhile, seeing how you’ve already threatened my life.”

His partner, a silver and blue Exo, shrugged. “I say let her have it. What’s she gonna do, kill you?” He laughed, as Andal scowled at him.

“Cayde, knock it off.”

“You’re-” Willow’s voice cracked. How many people here were Risen? How many had Ghosts? What did they want with her? “You’re  _ Risen _ ?”

Andal held up a finger, “Risen. Not a Warlord. Not trying to kill everyone out there. Cayde and Zeke are as well.” Willow’s eyes glanced to the two doctors.

Saffron shook her head, “Not me Dearie. Just an older woman who practices medicine.” Jett also shook his head.

“Look,” Andal stared into the girl, “We’re not looking to hurt you. We want to know why you were hanging out around our site. Are you looking to cause tro-”

Cayde cut in by clearing his throat. “Andal y’know she was completely alone, right? What trouble could she get into?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out, Cayde.”

“Can I get my arm back?” Willow asked, her voice a whisper.

Saffron looked at Andal, who shook his head. “Not until we know who you are.”

She stared into Andal’s eyes, “Can’t tell you what I don’t know. Can I?”

Andal’s eyes narrowed and he summoned his Ghost. It looked at his partner, who nodded, then turned to Willow. The Ghost shone light on to her. She was being scanned. “Saffron, Jett, you two can go.”

Cayde tilted his head, “You don’t know?”

“I got my name from a fucking tree.”

Cayde laughed, “It better not be Sycamore. We already have one of those here. Between you and me, Tree Girl, we don’t need another Sycamore.”

Andal smacked Cayde’s shoulder, causing more pain to himself than the Exo. “Cayde.”

“What?! I’m trying to lighten the mood. You made everything all tense and serious.”

Andal’s Ghost finished his scan,  _ [Definitely a Risen. She has a strong connection to the Traveler.] _ The Ghost had a strong, deep voice, very unlike her own.

“Where’s your Ghost?” Andal asked.

“Andal you don’t just ask someone to see their Ghost,” Cayde sighed. “Would’ya trust me for once? I feel like you’re making this harder.” 

Andal sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, defeated. He took a step backwards, “Go ahead.”

“Alright Tree Girl Who’s Name Better Not Be Sycamore, let’s start again, yeah? Name’s Cayde. The number doesn’t matter,” he laughed. He held his hand out, summoning his Ghost. It was red and white, its four points alternating colors with an aqua colored eye. It matched the Exo’s eyes, oddly enough. “This is Sundance, my partner in crime. I’ve been Risen for Gods knows how long now, I’ve stopped keeping track, and rezz’d probably just as much.”

He gestured to Andal, “That there is my cranky friend Andal. He means well, he’s just been on edge. We all have been-”

“Cayde-” Andal cut in.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Cayde turned to Andal, “It’s my turn to talk.” His attention turned back to Willow, “We lost some good people recently. Scouting gone wrong. Anyways. What’s your story, Tree Girl?”

Cayde was definitely easier to talk to than Andal, who seemed very confrontational. The Exo was good natured and kept things a bit more lighthearted, which was what she needed. “I woke up underneath a Willow tree. Everyone I’ve ever gotten close to either left because I’m a Risen and they found out, or they died because of… Warlords. I guess. It’s okay, Ghost.”

A moment after speaking, her Ghost appeared. It was small with rounded points and a Golden eye. “She doesn’t have a name. We set up camp about an hour away, and… Your scout? Kate? Found me and told me about here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to me making all the preestablished characters out of character from this point onwards because i dont know how to write. also i apologize if there are any consistencies going forward!! i've only just started (writing chapter 5 currently) keeping track of character details/descriptions and event details and stuff so things might be a little bit off! hope you understand!


	5. New Beginnings?

An Awoken woman met Willow outside the medical tent. She had spent the night there under the eyes of Saffron and Jett. Saffron brewed fresh tea, and although tea wasn’t usually in Willow’s menu the taste was refreshing. A majority of the time Saffron sat on her own cot, knitting.

“What are you knitting for?” Willow had asked.

She smiled, “We tend to use a lot of bandages and such, for medical purposes. Sometimes we run low on them, so I like to have some backups. They’re not ideal, but in emergencies they can be a life saver.”

Jett, on the other hand, seemed to do more work. He sat in a chair by cabinets inside the tent. He continuously opened and closed them, counting and recounting their contents. He proceeded to switch to a paper in front of him to write down the numbers. He shook his head.

Saffron noticed, “What’s the matter?”

“We’re either missing supplies, or I’ve lost the ability to count.” Willow covered a laugh by coughing. Jett turned to her, “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh, Tree Girl.”

“I told you, it’s not Tree Girl. It’s Willow.”

“Mm, yeah, I’m more inclined to believe Cayde.”

“If Cayde taught you how to count, would you believe him?”

This time, Jett laughed. “Gods, no. I honestly don’t think that man can make it past 6.”

Saffron smiled in her seat, “Now, now. As much as I would love to poke fun at Cayde, what’s this about missing supplies?”

Today would be the first day out of the tent. Andal and Cayde had set Willow up with someone to hang out with and show her around. A tour guide, if you would. A tall Awoken woman waited outside the tent for her in the morning. Her hair was long and down, and she smiled upon seeing Willow.

“Hey! You must be Willow!”

Willow nodded in reply, pushing hair behind one of her ears. “And you are?”

“My name’s Kit. Pleasure to meet you,” she stuck her hand out for a hand shake. When Willow hesitated, she brought it to scratch the back of her neck, “Too formal?”

“Only a little bit,” Willow smiled. Maybe there were only a few rough people here.

“Well, um,” Kit cleared her throat. “I’m the head communications person. So basically any time we send a scouting party out, I’m there 90% of the time. We have one out now, Andal mentioned you met Kate?”

“Well I… I wouldn’t exactly say `met`.” Kit raised an eyebrow. “She… Kinda caught me off guard. Might have threatened her, don’t tell that Andal guy. He’s already done with me. But despite that, she still told me about here.”

“Yep,” Kit started walking. “That sounds like Kate. She’s pretty optimistic about people.”

Kit explained how she had been traveling with Kate and friend Ace, originally a scout, when they met Shiro. Shiro was the only main leader Willow had to meet, since he was out scouting with Kate and the others. He was wary of them at first, but the three quickly became an integral part of the larger group. Kate was good in the field, managing to find a few hidden Fallen shelters. Ace, however, fared better on the communication side of things. He was alright out there, but not as attentive as he should have been.

The pair came across a larger tent, Kit smiled. “This is where I call my home,” she pushed aside the curtain revealing the interior. “The Comm room!”

The center of the room held a large table scattered with papers. Some of the papers were hand drawn maps, while others looked like various types of charts. It all looked foreign to Willow, nonetheless. Chairs were haphazardly set around the table, and only one of them was filled. In the seat sat a man who looked deep in his work.

“That’s Ace,” he turned at hearing his name. He gave a small wave and went back to his map. “We call him the map guy. He takes whatever maps we have of the area, handmade or not, and mashes them all together. He’s the reason we know where anything is around here,” she laughed, then got close to Willow and whispered. “He’s always been kinda quiet, so don’t take it personal if he doesn’t talk to you.”

The Awoken turned to her friend, “Hey, any idea where Jaxx is?” Ace simply shook his head, which earned a sigh from Kit. “Thanks, Ace.”

Besides the personal tents of the residents, the only other place of note was the common area. The common area consisted of a campfire, logs for seating, and a small tent that served as a kitchen. A fire was almost constantly going for warmth, especially since it was beginning to get into the colder months. Kit sat down and patted the spot next to her.

“It’s usually a bit more lively,” a sad smile showed on her face. Willow took a seat next to Kit.

Cautiously, Willow spoke, “What happened? I mean, if it’s okay to ask. It seemed like a sore spot for that Andal guy.”

Kit kicked at gravel on the ground and stared into the fire, thinking. “It’s been about a month now. Honestly, everything was sort of a mess. An unofficial scouting group went out, and when I say unofficial I mean these guys should not have gone out to begin with. They were way out of their league. Not bad guys by any means, just in over their heads. Something happened, they panicked and screamed at us over comms. 

Cayde and Shiro rushed out to their location and they had a heavy battle out there with another group. I think Zeke and Kate ran out there when they got word of what was going on. Long story short, the group that originally went out two made it back here but died. Zeke and Kate aren’t Risen. They were beat up pretty bad, but they made it out alright. They never really talked about what happened to the other group.”

The pair found themselves towards the end of the night. They had eaten dinner, joined by Ace, and chatted around the fire for a few hours. However, Kate’s shift was soon so it was her time to go. She smiled at Willow and bid her farewell, leaving her to the entrance of the medical tent. Inside two voices talked, both robotic in nature.

Willow pulled the curtain open to find Jett and Cayde. Upon hearing her enter, both men turned her way. Jett waved hello, and Cayde's eyes lit up.

“Just the person I was lookin’ for!” Willow turned to look behind her. No one. Cayde laughed, “Yeah, you Tree Girl.”

“Willow,” she corrected.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Tree Girl. Anyways, we got you a tent set up. Figured you’d enjoy having a place to yourself for the night.” He walked to her, pushed her shoulder, and spun her around to leave, and pushed her out of the tent that she had barely entered. Cayde wasted no time escorting Willow to her tent. He opened the curtain.

“It’s not much, but. It’s better than the ground, eh?” 

He was right. It wasn’t much. There was a small desk with an oil lamp on top of it, a small storage chest, and a cot. But this was more than Willow had before. Her eyes lit up at the sight. “I haven’t had a lamp in months.”

Cayde laughed, “ _ That’s _ what you’re happy about? A lamp?”

Willow pouted, “Look, the dark isn’t fun.” She took a step into her new room. She smiled. She wasn’t being treated too terribly. Andal was still rude and cranky and on her shit list. But the people like Kate and Cayde made everything a little nicer. It felt a little bit like home.

“Sorry- did you just smile?” 

Her expression changed again, back to her typical, expressionless stare. “No.” No, it wasn’t home. It’s too soon. Just because they gave her a bed and a light doesn’t mean anything. She has no weapon. The main leader doesn’t like her. This isn’t home.

“Nah, I know what I saw,” Cayde stood at the entrance, his back lights lit up a warm yellow. What was he thinking? “Anywho, I’ll leave you to it,” he turned and tossed one hand in the air, his goodbye. “I’m a few tents down if you need anything, Tree Girl.”

“My name is WILLOW,” she growled. And Cayde just laughed his way away. 

**Author's Note:**

> if you guys like this im heavily inspired by @ elerielina here on ao3. unspoken is a really good series so far and im loving it and sjkhg  
> i wanted to try my own take on a post-collapse setting rather than post-city/real time setting. so here we are!!  
> i have a lot of original characters in here, and im going to end up taking a lot of liberties with established characters (shiro, andal, etc) just because some of them have less lore or details to go off of than others.  
> i hope this all goes well and this doesnt end up being a scrapped project (like literally all my other works!!! hahahah, help me i have too many ideas and not enough story plot)


End file.
